Chapter 2

Consumer Research

Consumer Behavior,
Ninth Edition

Schiffman & Kanuk

 Chapter Outline
• Introduction to Quantitative and
Qualitative Research
• Overview of the Consumer Decision
Process
• Quantitative Research
• Qualitative Research

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BREAKFAST

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 Consumer Research

• Consumer Research enables marketers

to study and understand consumers’
need and wants and how they make
consumption decisions

• Are consumers rational decision

makers who objectively evaluated the
goods and services?

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 Consumer Research

• Later on researchers realized that

consumers were not always
consciously aware of why they made
the decisions they did.

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 Non-Probability Sampling

• Convenience Sample – selects most

accessible population.
• Judgement Sample – researcher uses his / her
judgement (selecting experts in the relevant fields
etc.)
• Quota Sample – Interview a prescribed number
of people in each category (50 men and 50 women)

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 Quantitative Research
• Descriptive in nature.
• Enables marketers to “predict”
consumer behavior (positivism).
• Research methods include
experiments, survey techniques, and
observation.
• Findings are descriptive, empirical, and
can be generalized to larger
populations.

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 Qualitative Research
• Consists of depth interviews, focus
groups, metaphor analysis, collage
research, and projective techniques.
• Administered by highly trained
interviewer-analysts.
• Findings tend to be subjective.
• Small sample sizes.

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 Quantitative
Qualitative Research
Research
Study • Provide insights about • Describe target
Purpose ideas market
• Exploratory research • Results for
before quantitative strategic marketing
study decisions

Types of • Open-ended • Close-ended

Questions • Unstructured • Attitude scales

Data • Projective techniques • Observation

Collection • Depth interviews • Experimentation
Methods • Focus groups • Questionnaires
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 Quantitative
Qualitative Research
Research
Sampling • Small • Large
Methods • Non-probability • Probability samples
samples
• (convenience,
judgement, quota)

Data • Analyzed by • Coded, tabulated,

Analysis researchers who and entered into
collected data database
• Look for “key words” • Use of statistical
• Subjective methods

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The Consumer Research Process

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Developing Research Objectives
• Defining purposes and objectives helps
ensure an appropriate research design.

• A statement of objectives helps to

define the type and level of information
needed.

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Developing Research Objectives
• To find out consumer attitudes about
and experiences with online shopping?

• To determine what percentage of

households do their food shopping
online.

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 Discussion Questions
Assume you are planning to open a
new pizza restaurant near your
campus.

• What might be three objectives of a

research plan for your new business?

• How could you gather these data?

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 Discussion Questions
Assume you are planning to open a
new pizza restaurant near your
campus.

• Preference of pizza among students

• Socio-economic condition of students
• Competitor analysis

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 Secondary Data
• Data that has been collected for
reasons other than the specific
research project at hand

• Includes internal and external data

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 Types of Secondary Data

Internal Data External Data

• Data generated in- • Data collected by an
house outside organization
• Includes federal
• May include analysis of government,
customer files periodicals,
newspapers, books,
search engines
• Useful for calculating
• Commercial data is also
customer lifetime value
available from market
research firms
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 Discussion Question
Personal Privacy
Many people do not like the fact that
their personal data are used for
marketing.

• How can marketer’s justify their need

for data?
• How can they acquire data and maintain
customer privacy?

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Designing Primary Research
• Quantitative Research Designs
– Include research design, data collection
methods, instruments to be used, and the
sample design

• Qualitative Research Designs

– Include depth interviews, focus groups,
projective techniques, and metaphor
analysis

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 Data Collection Methods
Observational Research
• Helps marketers gain an in-depth
understanding of the relationship
between people and products by
watching them buying and using
products

• Helps researchers gain a better

understanding of what the product
symbolizes

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Observational
research is
often used to
design
products to
meet needs.

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 Data Collection Methods
Mechanical Observational
Research
• Uses mechanical or electronic device
to record consumer behavior or
response [Highway requirement]
• Consumers’ increased use of highly
convenient technologies will create
more records for marketers
• Product audits which monitor sales are
heavily used by companies

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 Data Collection Methods
Experimentation
• Can be used to test the relative sales
appeal of many types of variables
• An experiment is usually controlled
with only some variables manipulated
at a time while the others are constant
• Can be conducted in laboratories or in
the field

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 Surveys
Data Collection Methods
Personal Interview

Mail

Telephone

Online

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Online Surveys Are Growing in
Popularity

weblink

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 Comparative Advantages

PERSONAL
MAIL TELEPHONE ONLINE
INTERVIEW
Cost Low Moderate High Low
Speed Slow Immediate Slow Fast
Response Self-
Low Moderate High
rate selection
Geographic
Excellent Good Difficult Excellent
flexibility
Interviewer
N/A Moderate Problematic N/A
bias
Interviewer
N/A Easy Difficult N/A
supervision
Quality of
Limited Limited Excellent Excellent
response

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 Validity and Reliability
• If a study has validity it collects the
appropriate data for the study.

• A study has reliability if the same

questions, asked of a similar sample,
produce the same findings.

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 Attitude Scales
• Likert scales: easy for researchers to prepare
and interpret, and simple for consumers to
answer
• Semantic differential scales: relatively easy to
construct and administer
• Behavior intention scales: also easy to
construct and administer
• Rank-order scales: subjects rank items in order
of preference in terms of some criteria

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 Qualitative Collection Method
Depth Interview
• Usually 30 minutes to 1 hour

• Non-structured

• Interpreted by trained researcher

• Listen to words as well as “body

language”

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 Qualitative Collection Method
Focus Group
• 8-10 participants

• Lasts about 2 hours

• Always taped or videotaped to assist

analysis

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Online Focus Groups Are
Gaining in Popularity

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Focus Group Discussion Guide
1. Why did you decide to use your current cellular company?

2. How long have you used your current cellular company?

3. Have you ever switched services? When? What caused the

change?

4. What do you think of the overall quality of your current

service?

5. What are the important criteria in selecting a cellular service?

Examples of Probe questions:
a. Tell me more about that . . .
b. Share your thinking on this . . .
c. Does anyone see it differently . . .

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 Qualitative Collection Method
Projective Techniques
• Research procedures designed to
identify consumers’ subconscious
feelings and motivations
• Consist of a variety of disguised
“tests”
• Incomplete sentences, untitled
pictures, word associations

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 Qualitative Collection Method
Metaphor Analysis
• Based on belief that metaphors are the
most basic method of thought and
communication
• Respondents cannot adequately
convey their feelings and attitudes
about a product through use of words
• Use non-verbal such as sound, music,
drawings

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 Customer Satisfaction
Measurement
• Customer Satisfaction Surveys
• Gap Analysis of Expectations versus
Experience
• Mystery Shoppers
• Customer Complaint Analysis
• Analysis of Customer Defections

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Customer Satisfaction Survey

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Sampling and Data Collection
• Samples are a subset of the population
used to estimate characteristics of the
entire population.
• A sampling plan addresses:
– Whom to survey
– How many to survey
– How to select them
• Researcher must choose probability or
non-probabililty sample.

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 Probability Sampling Designs

Simple random Every member of the population has a known and

sample equal chance of being selected.
Systematic random A member of the population is selected at random
sample and then every “nth” person is selected.
Stratified random The population is divided into mutually exclusive
sample groups (such as age groups), and random samples
are drawn from each group.
Cluster (area) The population is divided into mutually exclusive
sample groups (such as blocks), and the researcher draws
a sample of the groups to interview.

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 Data Analysis and Reporting
Findings
• Open-ended questions are coded and
quantified.

• All responses are tabulated and

analyzed.

• Final report includes executive

summary, body, tables, and graphs.

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